Head

Head

The head is the part of an organism which usually includes the brain, eyes, ears, nose and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste, respectively. Some very simple animals may not have a head, but many bilaterally symmetric forms do, regardless of actual complexity.

Anatomy

The human head consists of a brain, usually three sense organs, one bilateral, two eyes, and two ears, plus three collective sense organs, one mouth, one nose, and one tongue.

Brain

The brain is an organ that serves as the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals. It is located in the head, usually close to the sensory organs for senses such as vision.

Eyes

The eye is a sensory organ that allows vision. Rod and cone cells in the retina allow conscious light perception and vision including color differentiation and the perception of depth.

Ears

The ear is the organ that detects sound. It not only receives sound, but also aids in balance and body position.

Nose

The nose is the organ that allows for the sense of smell. The cavity of the nose is lined with mucous membranes that have smell receptors connected to the olfactory nerve.

Mouth

The mouth is the first part of the alimentary canal that receives food and produces saliva. The mouth also contains the tongue and the teeth.

Function

The head houses the brain which controls the body. The head is also the sensory interface with the environment, collecting information from the senses of sight, smell, taste, touch, and hearing.

See also

• Neck
• Face
• Cranium
• Skull

References

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  Portrait of a Meerkat

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  Beethoven death mask

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  View of a Skull III

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  Bartholin head transect

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  Nomada krugii, F, face, Dominican Republic

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  Flag of Corsica

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  Leonardo da Vinci, Study on the proportions of head and eyes

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  Domenico Beccafumi - Tête de jeune homme

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  Head nerves

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  Andrea Vaccaro, Tête de Saint-Jean Baptiste

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  Statue de Saint Solange